Assailants who shot dead veteran Vision Group journalist, Joe Nam, reportedly took only his mobile phone, leaving behind other valuables, fueling suspicions among residents that the attack was targeted rather than a robbery.
Nam, 55, was killed on Sunday at his home in Kawanda Central Zone, Nabweru Division, Wakiso district. Residents say the circumstances surrounding the killing raise more questions than answers, particularly the fact that no other items were taken from the scene.
“He was a born-again Christian and often went outside to pray. We don’t know whether they found him praying or pulled him from the house, but they only took his phone, nothing else. This was not a typical robbery,” said George Sserunkuma, a neighbour and representative of elders at Kawanda Central Zone local council.
“This is the kind of attack where someone is specifically targeted. We are used to housebreakings here, but nothing like this,” he added.
According to Sserunkuma, the shooting occurred at around 1:00 a.m., though residents initially mistook the gunshots for noise from football fans watching a late-night match.
“We heard dogs barking and then gunshots, but we thought it was people watching football. We only realised what had happened in the morning when police arrived, and our neighbour was dead,” he said.
Sserunkuma noted that the community had last seen Nam alive just hours earlier during their routine group exercises.
“We have been working out together for about five years, since the COVID-19 period. On Saturday, we exercised together and he returned home. That was the last time we saw him. We used to call him uncle,” he said.
Kampala Metropolitan deputy police spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigyire, said homicide detectives from Kampala Metropolitan North have visited and documented the scene as investigations continue.
Residents said a police K9 unit was deployed to track the suspects, but the operation did not yield significant leads. The body was later taken to the City Mortuary in Mulago. Nam, who had lived in Kawanda for about a decade, was a respected journalist who covered business, politics, and environmental issues.
He was also the author of The Day Museveni Goes: Reflections—Questions—Fears—Hope and had in recent years been working as a consultant. Police statistics indicate a slight increase in fatal shootings. According to the 2025 crime report, 190 cases of murder by shooting were recorded, up from 188 in 2024.
